Born William George Perks in the South London district of Lewisham, England on Oct. 24, 1936, he was one of five children born to bricklayer William Perks and his wife, Molly. Raised in the tough Sydenham borough, his early years were marked by extreme poverty, which he chronicled in a series of journals he began keeping shortly after World War II and maintained throughout his life. His connection to music began as a boy when he took piano lessons, but his father insisted that he take a job with a local bookmaker to help support the family. After completing his national service with the Royal Air Force, Wyman married his first wife, Diane Cory, in 1959, and worked as a carpenter to support h... Continue Bio >>